The present invention relates to an improved method for accelerating the aging of distillates. Heretofore, alcoholic distillates such as whiskey have been aged in oak barrels or casks over long periods of time. During this aging time, the distillate reacts within the oak barrel to produce a higher quality distillate. The wooden barrels are usually stored in warehouses at a constant temperature, which significantly increases the cost of the final product. Given the long length of the aging period and the costs incurred, various methods and devices have been developed to speed up the aging process. However, Applicant is unaware of any prior art processes that teach or fairly suggest all of the features of the present invention including using a tree bark to accelerate the aging process.
The following United States patents are known to Applicant:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,234 to Krebs, et al. teaches a method of accelerating the aging process for whiskey and is seen to include the addition of oakwood shavings during the maturation process. Of course, the Krebs, et al. patent is different from that of the present invention in that there is no suggestion of using a tree bark to accelerate the aging process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,708 to Ruiz de Palacios teaches a method of accelerating the aging of liqueurs by the addition of an extract produced from oakwood shavings to the distillate during the aging process. Again, the teachings of this patent do not include any suggestion to add a tree bark to a distillate during the maturation process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,656 to Duggins teaches a method for aging liquor similar to the aforementioned patents, wherein particles of charred oakwood are added to the liqueur to accelerate the aging process. The teachings of this patent fail to suggest the addition of a tree bark or an apple concentrate to the distillate during the process of aging.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,207 to Oliver and 6,130 to Hopkins are only generally related to the method of distilling liquors.